Trailer hitch



arch 28, 1950 H. c. HAGENAH 2,501,721

TRAILER HITCH Filed Oct. 22, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 28, 1950 H. c.HAGENAH TRAILER HITCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 22, 1947 &

Patented Mar. 28, 1950 UNITED STATES. PATENT? OFFICE TRAILER HITCH HarryC, Hagenah, Conrad, Mont.

Application October 22, 1947, Serial No; 781269 2 Claims; 12Iinventionrelates to trailer hitches. An objectof thisinvention istoprovide a hitch forcoupling'a' trailer vehicle to ati'actor vehiclewhich is so constructed and'arranged that'hori zontal movement'b'etween'the-two vehicles is:

cushioned so as to relieve the coupling between the vehicles of shocksincidentto such movement;

Another object ofth'is' invention is to provide a hitch of thiskindwherein vertical movement betweenthe two veh'icles also-cushionedso"- that verticalsl'iocks will besmoothed out and the vertical rocking"of one vehiclewill not'be' com-- municated to the other vehicle.

A further object 'of thisinvention is to provide"aicush'ioned'liitch-embodying a, sliding two-part ball socketwithinwhich the ball coupling member'of the tractor'vehicle is adapted toremovably engageso thatthe two vehicles may be easilyan'dquicklycoupledtogether or separated with-- outthe use of tools.

To'theforegoing objects; and others which may hereinafter more fullyappear; the'invention"consists ofthe novel'construction; combination-andarrangement of "parts, as will be more specifical ly referred'toand'illustrated in the accompany-- ing drawings; but it is to beunderstood that changes," variations; and modifications may be resortedto which fallwitliin thescopeof the mventi'on" as claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a detailed side elevation, partly broken away and insection, of'a trailer hitch" constructed according to an embodimentofthis invention.

Figure 2 =is= a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1. i

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectiona1 view taken onitheline'33 of FigureZ.

Figure 4 is a sectional View taken .on the-line 4-4 of Figures Figure 5Ba plan view of a modified form of this invention.

ffigurei'fiw is a detailedside elevation of the'de v-ice'showrrin Figure.5.

Figure'I-is aifragmentary sectional view taken couplingv as; will be ahereinafter described.- The.- coupling: forconnectingv the trailer drawbar." H to thetractoridr'aw bar I fltincludes-"an' elongated? housingy.generallydesignated as l2; which: is adaptedto be fixedly secured bysuitable fastenin'g means (not'tshown) to the trailer: draw/bar l I."ThQThOUSiIIQCI 2 includes top andrbfottom'wallsz l3 and M; respectively,and;-opposite-sidewalls": l 5' and": I 6, respectively; Ani-iintermediate part1; tion I! is disposed within the housing lz bein'glpositionedbetween the oppositeends oftlie housing andiforming withtheiront wall l8 a cou-' pling'chamber I91 'I'he' tractor'draw barlflhasi fi'xed'thereto a ball member Zil'whic'h includes-"a stem 2]'extending'd'ownwardly from'the ball" and"al'so'includes a flange 22"engaging on the upper side of thedraw'b'ar l0." A shank 2'3"ex' tendsdownwardly from the flange 22' and is: adapted to be fixedly securedby'suitable fase tening means in the draw bar It). 'Ihe b'all201 isadapted to engage'in a ball'socket', generally designated as 2 l,,whichis slidable' within, the: chamber 19.

The socket 24" includes complementary mem bers"25" andZSi and preferablythe socket mem".-.- ber 25 is formed'with a pair of end'fianges 21 and28 within which the socket member 26I1oose-' lyengages. The socketmember 26 is. loosely? held with respect. to the socket. member, 25by,means, of one or more fastening,memberse2j9tene gaging, through anopening 30. formed in the. flange. Thesocketimember. 2B isiformediatithe opposite endwthereof' with rounded .end portions.,3 l and .3 Lsothat ,when the socket member 2-.6-..is moved outwardly tor ballreleasing position ,1 this socket. member may readily swing outward lybetween the end fiangesil-andltl. The SOGke-- et-.member- 24- is V heldagainst lateral movement intheicompartments l9:bymeans of. a hinged:closure, 3 3: which i is hinged 1. as at 34 :and secured; inclosedpositiom by means of: a bolt? 35: socket l member: 24isayieldably-l heldagainst end-- wise movementvin thechamber I9ubymeansof: a pair of springs: 36 i and 31 which: engage-.,the opposite ends..-015 the; socket-member? 24 and; are? securedas at38vand: 39-rto; thewalls I8 and f M; respectively;

The jsidej-wallv I5i-hasiprojecting inwardl rfromi-i thalowergedgeithereof as flange Alli and; a closure 33 has projecting inwardlyl'fromthewlower: edge: thereof a flange H The two confronting flanges 48 and4! form a space 42 within which the shank 2! is adapted to looselyengage so that the ball 20 can freely move endwise within the cham-T-herk 3 ber l9. The flanges 48 and 4| also form guides for the socketmember 24.

Referring now to Figures 5 to 8, inclusive, there is disclosed aslightly modified form of this invention. A housing 52a is providedwhich is identical with the housing l2 with the exception that the rearportion of the housing is slightly longer than the rear portion of thehousing I2. The housing I2a has associated therewith a ball socketsimilar to the socket 24 for slidably coupling a ball member 28a withinthe chamber similar to chamber l9. The rear portion 43 of the housingl2a has secured thereto a transversely extending bar 44 formed withdownwardly extending flanges 45 at the opposite ends thereof.

The flanges 45 diverge rearwardly and are adapted to engage n the outerside of a forwardly convergent trailer draw bar assembly. The transversebar 44 is yieldably mounted on the rear portion 43, the rear portion 43having an eye 46 secured thereto through which an elongated bolt 41loosely engages. The bolt 4'! is se-- cured as at 48 to the centralportion of the bar 44 and an upper spring 49 constantly urges the bar 44upwardly. The spring 44 at its lower end bears against a washer 58disposed on the upper side of the eye 45. A lower equalizing spring 51engages about the bolt 41 and bears at its upper end against a washer 52which engages against the lower side of the ring 45.

The lower end of the spring bears against a lower washer 53 which isheld against downward movement by means of a spring tensioning nut 54threaded on the bolt 41. The draw bar of the trailer vehicle is adaptedto be pivotally secured to the housing 12a by means of a substantiallyV-shaped plate 55 which has extending from the opposite forwardlydivergent edges thereof depending flanges 55. The plate 55 also hasextending downwardly from the lower side thereof a pair of innerparallel flanges 51 which are pivotally mounted on a bolt 5 extendingthrough the rear housing portion 43. The plate 55 as shown in Figures 5and 7 is cut out as indicated at 59 so that this plate may have constantrocking movement on the pivot 48 and with respect to the housing [2a.

With a trailer hitch or coupling as shown in Figures 5 to 8, inclusive,the trailer and tractor vehicles may have Vertical movement one relaftive to the other without transmitting shocks incident to such verticalmovement from one vehicle to the other. In other words, the trailerhitch shown in Figures 5 to 8, inclusive, will not.

The trailer hitch shown in Figures 5 to 8, inclusive, will operate inthe same manner as the hitch shown in Figures 1 to 4, with the exceptionthat the hitch shown in Figures 5 to 8 will provide cushioning means forthe vertical movement between the two vehicles.

I claim:

1. A trailer hitch for connecting the draw bar of a, tractor vehiclewith the draw bar of a trailer vehicle, comprising an elongated memberformed with an elongated socket chamber, a ball socket I slida-ble insaid chamber, a coupling plate rockonly provide a cushioned horizontalmovement between the tractor and trailer vehicles but will also providecushioned vertical movement between the two vehicles.

In the use and operation of this hitch the ball 20 is adapted to befixedly secured to the tractor draw bar I!) and the housing I2 isfixedly secured to the trailer draw bar I I. During the horizontalmovement of the two vehicles the strain between the two vehicles iscushioned by means of the oppositely disposed cushion springs 36 and 31.When it is desired to uncouple the tractor and trailer vehicles, theclosure 33 is swung outwardly to open position and the outer socketmember 26 may then be swung outwardly to released position permittingthe ball 28 to be disengaged from the socket member 24.

ably carried by said member between the ends thereof and adapted to befixed to the forward end of the trailer draw bar, a transverselydisposed bar at the rear end of said member and adapted to be fixed tothe trailer draw bar, a guide eye fixed to the rear end of said member,a bolt having one end fixed to said transverse bar and loosely extendingthrough said eye, a pair of springs about said bolt, one of saidsprings. being interposed-between said guide eye and said transverse barand the other of said springshaving one end abutting said eye and theother end thereof fixed relative to the other end of said bolt forresiliently resisting vertical movement of said bolt and said transversebar relative to said member, springs in said chamber resisting movementof said socket in opposite directions, and a ball engaging in saidsocket and adapted to he fixed to the tractor draw bar.

2. A trailer hitch for connecting the draw bar of a tractor vehicle withthe draw bar of a trailer vehicle comprising an elongated member havinga socket chamber formed therein, a ball socket horizontally slidable insaid chamber, springs in said chamber resisting movement of said socketin opposite directions, a ball engageable in said socket and adapted tobe fixed to the tractor draw bar, a coupling plate rockably mounted onsaid member intermediate the ends of the latter and adapted to be fixedto the forward end of the trailer draw bar, a transversely disposed barat the rear end of said memher and adapted to be fixed to the trailerdraw bar, vertical-1y slidable connecting means securing said transversebar to said rear end of said member, and spring means interposed betweensaid transverse bar and said rear end of said member and adapted toresiliently resist vertical REFERENCES CITED The following referencesare of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,159,473 Church Nov. 9, 19151,186,182 Garman June 6, 1916 1,450,665 Crozier Apr. 3, 1923 2,121,416White June 21, 1938. 2,238,095 Almcrantz Apr. 15, 1941

